Flower in the River: A Family Tale Finally Told

Still Black and Blue: Eastland Survivors Speak - A Lost Magazine Recovered

• Natalie Zett • Season 4 • Episode 159

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A single local magazine from over 100 years ago contains details of the Eastland disaster you can’t unhear—and yet, it is rarely referenced. The July 30, 1915 issue of Forest Leaves (Forest Park, Illinois) is a treasure trove.  It includes firsthand accounts from those who boarded the SS Eastland expecting a Western Electric picnic and instead found themselves trapped by a sudden roll, crushed by crowds, with broken railings and impossible rescue choices at the portholes. It left at least one woman black and blue all over. 

From these pages, we begin the work of transforming nameless survivors and cold statistics into living, breathing individuals. We listen to the voices of Martha Bross, Emma Bohles, Mary Klemp, Minnie and Anna Clausen, and Gertrude Utescher. Their stories unfold as we follow the threads of census records, immigration hints, naturalization forms, workplace connections, and sprawling family trees.

Along the way, we confront the frustrations that haunt genealogists and historians: photos and stories drifting through the internet without a single citation, blurring the line between truth and myth. We notice, too, how a life-altering event can vanish from an obituary, as if it never happened at all.

We also share a practical research tip for anyone doing family history research: FamilySearch.org’s full-text search. Because it looks beyond indexed fields in digitized documents, it can surface records you’d never find with a standard search.

Resources:

Additional Music:

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Welcome And The Podcast Mission

Natalie Zett

Hello, I'm Natalie Zett, and welcome to Flower in the River. This podcast, inspired by my book of the same name, explores the 1915 Eastland disaster in Chicago and its enduring impact, particularly on my family's history. We'll explore the intertwining narratives of others impacted by this tragedy as well. And we'll dive into writing and genealogy and uncover the surprising supernatural elements that surface in family history research. Come along with me on this journey of discovery. Well, hey, this is Natalie, and welcome to episode 159 of Flower in the River Podcast. And as always, I hope you're doing okay. Nearly three years ago now, I took a close look at a publication that I would like to revisit today. In the time since that first review, I began shifting the direction of this podcast, moving away from a soul focus on my book and my own family, and opening the discussion up to the broader community of people who were involved in or affected by the Eastland disaster. I made that change because I quickly realized how few of these stories had ever been told. I wanted to make sure that everyone was included. Everyone, that's what I said. I know it's a lofty goal, but you know what? Slowly and steadily I'm getting there. And that publication that I previously reviewed is called Forest Leaves, L-E-A-V-E-S, and it was published in Forest Park, Illinois. As far as I can tell, this publication, Forest Leaves from Forest Park, Illinois, 1915, has not been included in any online platform or in any books about the Eastland disaster. And because it has first-person accounts, all types of first-person accounts, I don't want it to get lost. So I'm going to share it with you today. Forest Park, Illinois, and I'm reading from the Encyclopedia of Chicago, by the way, is nine miles west of the loop, and it extends from Harlem Avenue to Desplains River and First Avenue on the west and from Madison Street and the North Central Railway tracks on the north to Sturmack Road on the south. More simply stated, Forest Park is about 10 miles west of downtown Chicago. Forest Park, Illinois, population approximately 14,000 people. And here's one of the many things that is unique about Forest Park. It has a huge number of cemeteries. Since the 1870s, Forest Park's main industry has been several large cemeteries. And they include Jewish Waldheim, Concordia, German Waldheim, Forest Home, and Woodlawn, which covers most of the town's acreage. As can be expected, many of the people involved in the Eastland disaster are buried in these cemeteries. Of special note, Forest Home Cemetery is also the final resting place for the four men who were hanged in 1887 for their presumed role in Chicago's Haymarket riot. In 1893, these men were honored as martyrs to the labor movement, with a large monument over their graves. In later years, a number of other prominent labor leaders, anarchists, socialists, and communists were buried in the so-called Radicals Row area of the cemetery. The village of Forest Park was incorporated as the town of Harlem in 1884 and then renamed Forest Park in 1907. During that time it was composed mainly of German and Italian immigrants. Forest Park has actually quite an intricate history, and I'm really glad that there are so many organizations, and I'll give you links to these sites, that are caring for it. Some high points here. They had at one point one of the world's, if not the world's, largest amusement parks. Also, the Metropolitan L provided direct access to Chicago from Chicago, and that also helped. Last but not least, Forest Park was known as the City of the Dead due to the numerous cemeteries. Forest Park will always be significant to me because this is one of the first locations that I studied when I expanded my podcast beyond my own family, and it gave an incredible insight into how the Eastland disaster affected this very small community. And I wondered how did that reshape this area? Well, we are about to find out because I'm going to share an article with you. And this article is from the Forest Leaves magazine. Forest Leaves Forest Park, Illinois, July 30th, 1915. The first headline is Eastland Sufferers. Forest Park people tell of their narrow escape from death in the Eastland disaster. There were but few Forest Park people in the awful Eastland catastrophe last Saturday. To Gertrude Stork of 1027 Circle Avenue and William Ristow of 929 South Lathrop Avenue, it was fatal. The story is told elsewhere. A few others made almost a miraculous escape. Miss Martha Bross, whose home is at four hundred one five Beloit Avenue, says, I went to the Western Electric Picnic on Saturday with my friend Miss Emma Bowles, who lives at one hundred ninety two Franklin Avenue in River Forest. We were expecting a day of real pleasure. We reached the Eastland soon after seven o'clock and went on board at once. We went up to the third deck, but it was already so crowded that we went below into the cabin. It was so close there and so many men were smoking, and we went up to the third deck again and stood a few feet from the rail on the south side of the boat. By the time the boat was ready to start, I noticed that it leaned over to the north side a little as soon as it started, and then in a few seconds it was reeling over in the direction with such force that I could not catch hold of the railing. I got a small finger hold of the wall against which I fell, but it was enough to keep my head above water. Then a man trampled on my fingers, but I held on as tight as I could, and soon my friend, Miss Bowles, got a man nearby to help me to a better place up on the side of the boat out of the water. We then helped others near us, and finally got to the wharf again. I saw them trying to pull people through the portholes. Some of them were too large to come through. Their rescuers pulled until there was no hope of getting them through, and had to let them go to their death in order to save others. I am still black and blue all over from the kicks of the women and men around me who were trying to save themselves. The men acted bravely in saving the women and children, but they could not save many, for the boat was simply jammed with people. There must have been at least three thousand on board. It was a terrible experience. I shall never again go with an excursion on the water. Miss Mary Clamp of 528 Ferdinand Avenue, in the employ of the Western Electric for the past four years, was found by the Forest Lakes reporter to be still suffering three days after the catastrophe from the nervous shock. She tells her story as follows. When the Eastland went over, I was sitting on the south upper deck. I caught hold of a bar which supported a life preserver over my head, but it broke, and I went down in the water. I sprang up as soon as my feet touched the floor, and when my head was above the water again, I instinctly saw a man's coat near me. I caught hold of it, and soon discovered it was on a man who was hanging onto something above him. It seemed like a long time that I hung there, when a woman nearby lifted me a little so that I got my arm around something above me. Then I knew nothing more for a while. But the next thing I knew there was a rope coming down to me, which I put under my arms, and I was pulled up to a safe place on top of the boat, which was then on its side. I was then taken to shore. When I came up out of the water my two friends had disappeared. Of course I was terrified. It has been a severe nervous shock to me. My friends were both saved. Mr. Lawson clung to the railing with several women hanging to him until he was almost lost. When they were saved, he immediately went to saving others around him. Although Gertrude Udisher is a fine swimmer, she came nearer to being drowned than I did. The boat was badly crowded. I do not know how many people were on, more than four should have been on for safety or comfort. Anna and Minnie Clausen, living at four hundred three one Thomas Street, went to the Eastland with a party of fifteen of their fellow workers and friends. Five of these were drowned. Here is the story. When we reached the boat, there were a great many people already on board, and they kept on coming until the last minute, and until there was no room for a seat anywhere. Several of our party sat on the boat rail on the south side. The others sat on benches near the railing, and it was a lucky place for us to be, as that side of the boat was up when it turned over. Some of those who were on the benches near us were thrown into the water as soon as the boat began to turn. Those who were sitting on the railing or near enough to it caught hold and hung on. Some of us had several others clinging to us until we were almost dragged down with them. Then, just as a little way from us the railing broke, from a great weight on it, and let a lot of people down into the water who drowned. Miss Minnie then said, I was sure I was gone, for I felt I could not hold on another second with the great weight of those who were clinging to me, and I was just about to say goodbye to those around me when a man took hold of me. I had to kick loose from those who were holding on to me. I was then pulled up to a safe place. As soon as I was rescued, my rescuer and I saved Anna, who was almost gone when we got her out. End quote. There were several Forest Park people who in various ways were detained from reaching the eastland in time to go aboard. Among those were Mayor Moore, Chief of Police Licht, Miss Ruth Elliveth of twelve South Ashland Avenue, River Forest, Leo Montemat, and two boys of three hundred five three North Franklin Avenue River Forest. Mrs. Herbert Muller, whose home is at six twelve Thomas Avenue, lost a cousin, E. J. Schmelz, living in Chicago, who was the only support of his mother. Joseph E. Schaber of 536 Thomas Avenue lost his sister, Mrs. Cummer, and his two nephews. William Terrell of 812 Hannah Avenue had a brother on the Eastland who was saved. Forrest Leaves will be glad to receive word of any other Forest Parkers who had experiences or suffered losses from this awful disaster. So how about it if we take some time to get to know a few of these people better? I mean, you just heard their accounts. Aren't you curious about them? I know I am. So let's go. But first I should mention that there are two people who were mentioned initially, Gertrude Stork and William Ristow, who I will not review only because I've covered them in other podcasts. But I will revisit them at some point because they were among the first people that I learned of. And number two, William Ristow and his brother Herman were both killed. And guess what I learned as I was researching these two brothers? That I am somehow distantly related to that family as well. That was a mind blower, and actually that was one of the things that compelled me to research further my own family history and the immigration patterns. But that's another story for another time. And I'm still researching that by the way. So let's get to know Martha Bros. She was the first person interviewed for this article in Forest Leaves. When I searched for Martha Bros online in conjunction with the Eastland disaster, I found her name on one of the Eastland focused platforms, but it only listed her name, her gender, and the fact that she was a survivor. Her story, in her own words, which has been available in Forest Leaves, was not there. So let me tell you a bit about who Martha Brass was. She was born in Indiana in 1894 to German immigrants Michael and Paulina Brass. By the 1910 census, the family was living in Chicago, where her father worked as a laborer, and Martha, just 15 years old, was working as a nursemaid. There were four children in the household at that point. Then came the Eastland disaster in 1915. And just a year later, on September 19, 1916, Martha married Charles Wirtz, W E R T Z, when she was 22 and he was 24. Charles worked as a carpenter and later became a building contractor. They had two children, a daughter who was born in 1918 and who died in 2001, and a son who was born in 1923 and died in 2002. Martha's husband died in Florida in 1968, and Martha died in 1977. Her obituary ran in the Tampa Bay Times on June 25, 1977, and it tells us that she was 82, but there's no mention of the fact that she had any involvement in the Eastland disaster. The only mention of it is in this article in The Forest Leaves. And considering the number of siblings Martha had, she probably has relatives who are alive today, and I want them to be able to find her biography, and to know that their relative was present on a most eventful day in 1915 in Chicago. Emma Bowles is next. In her account, Martha mentioned that she traveled that day with her friend, Emma Bowles, that's B-O-H-L-E-S, and I have seen the name spelled differently as well to make it more challenging. I found Emma's name on one of the platforms associated with the Eastland disaster, but just like Martha Bros, there's no information about her beyond the listing. Now, in the 1920s census, Emma was living with her sisters in River Forest, Illinois, right next to Forest Park, and she was working at Western Electric as a wire cutter. She was 31 at the time and listed both parents as being from Germany. I'll continue researching Emma to see if there's additional information that I can uncover. Now moving on to Mary Klemp, K-L-E-M-P. Mary shared her account of the disaster and mentioned that she was traveling with friends, including a man named Ted Lawson, who, as it turned out, she later married. And in a way, this one was probably one of the most frustrating moments that I had in this particular research. When I first searched for Mary, I found her name, her story, and a photograph on one platform. But there was no source citation, no idea where this story came from, no mention of where the photograph came from. So I couldn't use any of that information and I had to keep searching. And I did find some very well sourced records for both Mary and Ted on Family Search and on Ancestry. One of her relatives had set up a lovely profile for her with multiple photographs. But what was interesting in all the profiles that I did locate on Family Search and on Ancestry, none of them mentioned Mary's and Ted's involvement in the Eastland disaster. So I'm so glad to be able to document that and share that. Again, if her relatives go looking for the connection, they'll be able to find it here. Mary was born on July 19th, 1893, in Forest Park, Illinois, to Peter and Teresa Klemp, both of whom appear to be German or Danish immigrants. There's some confusion there. And Mary had at least six siblings, possibly more, which means there are quite a few living relatives from this family. In fact, we know there are because many of them have set up these family trees. Now here's the detail that haunted me a bit. So the Eastland disaster happened on July 24, 1915, and Mary Clemp and Ted Lawson, both who were on the boat, married just two months later on September 29, 1915, in Forest Park. I cannot imagine what those wedding preparations must have been like. They had survived something unimaginable, witnessed horrific trauma, and lost people they knew, and yet there they were, getting married, creating a future. Ted worked as some kind of inspector. It's difficult to read the census record. And Mary eventually became a stay-at-home mother. They had at least two daughters. Ted passed away around 1977, and Mary died in 1980. And now, if you remember, there were also two sisters, Anna and Minnie Clausen, who were mentioned in this article. And Minnie was the one who provided the quotes and shared their story. So let me tell you what I didn't find and what I was able to find. Neither of their names or their story was carried forward. In other words, the only place their names and story live is in this publication from 1915. The additional information about the sisters is difficult to pin down, and that just means that I need to take more time with them to see what else is available. Here's what I did learn. In the 1910 census, the sisters and two other siblings were living with their parents in Chicago. Their father appears to be from Denmark, their mother appears to be from Germany. By 1920, the sisters and one of the brothers are living with the father in Forest Park. Both of the sisters are working for Western Electric. Minnie later married, and she died in 1955. Anna, though, is the mystery. I am not sure what happened to her after 1920, so I need to do more research. And the last person I want to talk about is Gertrude Utischer, who was described as a good swimmer, but someone who struggled in the water. Fortunately, I was able to find Gertrude's petition for naturalization. She was born in Tangemünde, Germany on April 23, 1896, and had immigrated with her parents. It appears she immigrated in 1913. So just two years after arriving in the United States, she was working at Western Electric and involved in the Eastland disaster. That is truly remarkable when you think about it. Gertrude later married Alex Seaford in 1921, and they had two children, Rudolph and Kenneth. Then, in 1932, just 11 years after their wedding, Alex died, leaving Gertrude to raise her nine and ten-year-old boys on her own. She continued working at Western Electric, and in the 1950s census, she was still living in Chicago with her son Rudolph and her 83-year-old mother, who had been widowed by then as well. Gertrude appears to have passed away in Florida in 1993. I need to verify that as well. What strikes me about all of these women is how much of their lives we can reconstruct. And I just did this in a week. There's a lot more work that goes into the reconstruction and creating of a family tree of family stories and just a week's worth of work. But that just shows you that it's possible to at least create a foundation. And later you can expand upon that and create more detailed biographies. Well, I hope you enjoyed listening to the article and I hope you enjoyed getting to know some of the people who survived the Eastland disaster. I'll keep revisiting some of this older research simply because there's new information literally each day, and I might find something significant. One thing that is available, and I know that genealogists and historians probably already know about this, but if you go to familysearch.org's full text search. Full text search is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of searching just indexed fields like name, date, or place, this lets you search every word inside digitized historical records, even if those records were never fully indexed. That's a very high-level explanation of what this is. You can find all sorts of information about people, such as naturalization records. In fact, I found my great-great uncle's federal land patent, which was issued under the Homestead Act of 1862, which was one of the most significant pieces of legislation in American history. The date on this particular federal land patent is 1878. My great-greatuncle applied for it around 1873, and it was signed by none other than Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States. So I would encourage you to take a look at the full text search on FamilySearch.org to see what you can find. Well, that's it for this week. And I want to thank you again for your feedback and for letting me know that you want to know what goes on behind the scenes as I do this research and create these episodes. I promise we'll have more stories for you next week. But in the meantime, take care of yourselves. Please take care of each other and stay safe. Talk to you soon. Hey, that's it for this episode, and thanks for coming along for the ride. Please subscribe or follow so you can keep up with all the episodes. And for more information, please go to my website. That's www.flowerinthher.com. I hope you'll consider buying my book available as audiobook, ebook, paperback, and hardcover because I still owe people money. And that's my running joke. But the one thing I'm serious about is that this podcast and my book are dedicated to the memory of all who experienced the Eastland disaster of 1915. Goodbye for now.

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Natalie Zett

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